Tag Archives: travel

A little while ago, Jon Acuff posted a 40 before 40 list on Stuff Christians Like; my friend Jenni told me about it and we both created lists of things we’d like to do before we turn 40. I just turned 30, so I have 10 years to accomplish the things on this list. Some of these things I know I’ll be able to do soon, but others will take a while (buy a house and write a book, for example).

I decided not to put goals about spiritual growth on this list because it is difficult to quantify and measure “know and love the Lord more every year” and sometimes God has different lessons for me to learn than I planned. Actually, I realize that all of these dreams and goals need to be held loosely, because God is in control of my life and His plans for me often differ from my plans for myself. I believe it is good to make plans and to dream of the things I could do for the Lord, the church, and others, but I also have to be submitted to God’s will and not view the things on this list as the markers of what makes life complete and satisfying. With that caveat, here’s my list!

Write a non-fiction book

Write a book of poetry

Write a hymn

Read through my list of “books I should read” (coming soon to a blog near you)

Get another master’s degree or a Ph.d.

Get out of debt and stay out of debt (with the exception of a mortgage—see below)

Buy my own place to live

Volunteer at a shelter for women and children or a rescue mission

Visit missionary friends and work in an orphanage in Africa

Support an orphan

Support a missionary

Become a mentor and/or foster parent

Learn how to play the guitar

Learn to speak a language fluently

Run a 1/2 marathon

Run a 5k in less than 28 minutes

Run a marathon

Visit the empty tomb, the Temple Mount, and see the Dead Sea Scrolls

Visit Petra and Amman, Jordan

Ride the Eurail across Europe (a 21 day pass is $900–anyone want to donate?)

Visit my friend Jodi when she’s a missionary in Spain

Visit Andorra (with Jodi) and Luxembourg

Climb one of the Swiss Alps

Visit the Sistine Chapel and ride a gondola in Venice

Visit England with a literary-minded friend and visit Stratford-Upon-Avon, the Globe Theater (and see a play), the Brontes’ home, Oxford, Cambridge, and a host of other sites

See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre

Drive on the autobahn

Walk on the Great Wall of China

Go on a safari in Africa

Run across the Golden Gate Bridge and run up a hill in San Francisco

Hike a 10,000+ foot mountain near Lake Tahoe (if I visit in the summer) or ski at a resort there (if I visit in the winter)

Take my mom to Colonial Williamsburg

Visit the Grand Canyon

Go on an Alaskan cruise

See a Broadway musical

See an opera at the Met (preferably one by Puccini)

See Placido Domingo perform live (I hope he doesn’t completely retire before I get a chance to hear him!)

See Evgeny Kissin perform live

Skate in Rockefeller Park at Christmas time

Learn how to use the manual settings on a nice camera (should do this before all the traveling)

What are some things you’d like to accomplish before hitting the next mile-marker age?